


are burning souls enough to feel whole?

by howobnoctis



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Let Promare Be Poetic, Love is hard, M/M, Poetry, Post-Canon, Spoilers, navigating a world without promare, rebuilding yourself is harder, sifting through the emotional rubble of the war, who are they to each other?, who is galo without a hero?, who is lio without his fire?, yes there is poetry woven into the prose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 14:24:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21429688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howobnoctis/pseuds/howobnoctis
Summary: lio de galon, galo de lion: if only love was a battle that's won.  the aftermath of war isn't as simple as rebuilding tech; people can't be fixed like machines in a wreck.  lest lio and galo grow apart, they must make a whole of broken parts.“Did you do this on purpose?”The question hung in silence.Galo had started bandaging by the time Lio spoke.“Yes.”  He raised his gaze to Galo, who froze.  Something flickered in his eyes, pink flares in a murky violet sky.  “I needed to know.  I needed to feel the fire’s heat before I could believe it was no longer my own.”Galo didn’t want to look away, but he had to finish treating his wounds.  In this moment, it was the only thing he knew how to do.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	are burning souls enough to feel whole?

_the sway of a flame at the turn of the wind_

_ –enraged and tamed at the turn of his whim–_

_ the breath of the fire at its birth and its end_

_ –the death of the voices that were once his friend–_

_the ashes that fall_

_ –the embers’ last call–_

_the wicker that burns_

_ –all he had learned–_

_ –_

_ –_

_the scarring of skin by what’s no longer within_

Then came the pain. Lio slipped his gloves over his fingertips, burning at the betrayal. He knew what would happen, but he could not accept it as truth until he felt it himself. The silence of his subconscious, the emptiness in his core – they were undeniable, but he needed something more. He was the bereaved, Promare the passed-away; and he needed to see the corpse, feel the pain, to accept his loss as real.

He didn’t have time to grieve.

“Heya, Lio!” Galo’s bright blue hair poked out from the doorframe. “Oh, what’s cookin’?”

The stove was still on. Lio stifled his panic and reached for the nearest pan, refusing to turn around. His face was still as stone, but cracks threatened to pierce its surface. This was not the time to break.

“Y’know, we have thirty boxes of food on the way.” Galo stepped into the kitchen. The enthusiasm in his voice filled the small room, pressing down on Lio’s back. “It’s not Burning Inferno Margherita Megamax, but it’s something – we’ve got a lot of volunteers to feed!”

“Ah.” Lio hooked the pan back on the wall and turned off the stove. Every movement of his hands was excruciating. “Thank you for organizing the meal.”

“Oh, it wasn’t me. That's Ignis’ kind of thing, making calls and stuff. All the food is donated! Pretty great how the city’s coming together, huh?”

Bright blue spikes burst into Lio’s periphery, and he had no choice but to meet the sparkling eyes about a foot away from his. Galo's face was strained as he tried to decipher Lio’s expression. “Wait – do you not like pizza?”

His gaze was as steady and clear as a lake, not a ripple or shadow breaking the surface. Lio couldn’t lie to those eyes.

He turned away. “It’s not that.”

“Oh.” Galo shifted his weight, still standing close. “Then why do you look so unhappy? Or mad? Sad?”

Lio looked down at his hands. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, or how. He hadn’t had the time to process what happened.

Galo’s gaze followed, and his entire body jolted. “You’re burned!” he cried. He grabbed Lio’s wrists and dragged him to the sink. “You need to cool your hands right now!”

As strong as his grip was, Galo’s touch was soft and sure as he slid the leather gloves from Lio’s smarting skin. _Tshh-tshh-tshh_ – Galo flicked a finger under the stream until the water was cool, but not cold. “This’ll help with the pain. Keep your hands under here, I’ll be back to get supplies.”

He had already dashed out of the room before Lio had the chance to speak. “Don’t – ” he called out. Galo skidded back into the room. “Don’t bring anyone else in.”

Galo’s eyebrows rose slightly, but tending to Lio's wounds was more important than asking questions. He nodded and rushed out again.

Lio watched the water splay over his blistering palms. The relief was discomforting, the coolness strange –

_so this is what they do,_

_ those who never knew_

_how a flame could burn_

_ to protect, not hurt_

In another room, Galo watched himself gather supplies with practiced ease. The actions were familiar, but the situation new –

_ i know how to treat a burn_

_but how do i heal a burnish without their flame?_

_ what do i say? what do i do? he’s not the same_

_and i have a lot to learn_

Within a minute, Galo was back in the room. Lio’s head rose at the clamber of his steps. His stony expression, pulled taut with restraint, had fallen slack to numbness. Galo’s chest tightened as he pressed a towel to Lio’s damp skin.

“Did you do this on purpose?”

The question hung in silence.

Galo had started bandaging by the time Lio spoke.

“Yes.” He raised his gaze to Galo, who froze. Something flickered in his eyes, pink flares in a murky violet sky. “I needed to know. I needed to feel the fire’s heat before I could believe it was no longer my own.”

Galo didn’t want to look away, but he had to finish treating his wounds. In this moment, it was the only thing he knew how to do. “So... you’ve never been burned before?”

“Never. My body was made of fire, the fire was me. And without it” – the words carved a crack in his voice – “I don’t know how to breathe. How do I breathe in a world without oxygen? How do I feel without the color of those flames, the warmth of its desire?”

“You’re feeling right now,” Galo said softly, and to his surprise, Lio began to cry.

“I lived to burn. To burn was to live. But now, if I burn, I’ll die.”

Galo dropped the gauze. He wrapped his arm around Lio, whose shoulders shook with wounds far deeper than burns. His small body stiffened at the touch, but neither him nor Galo pulled away.

_ you might feel at loss today_

_but i know you’ll be okay_

_ you will learn to breathe again_

_you will have new oxygen_

_ you go find what makes you whole_

_i will lend my burning soul_


End file.
